Apparatus for dumping cars.



No. 658,760. Patent ed Oc-t. 2, I900. .1. .CASTLEMAN. APPARATUS FOR DUMPING CARS.

(Application filed Feb. 21, 1900.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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'No. 658,760. Patented: Oct. 2, I900.

J. W. CASTLEMAN. APPARATUS FOR DU MPING CARS.

(Application filed Fab. 21, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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' NITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

JAMES wooDs OASTLEMAN, or WEST .END, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR or O E- HALF TO SOL. HAAS, or BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

APPARATUS FoR: Du M PING CARS.

QPEGIFTOATION formingpart ef Letters Patent No. 658,760, dated October a, 1906.

Application filed February 21, 1900. Serial No- 6.085- No model.) I

To ZZ whom it may concern: I those previously patented or used, and being Be it known that LJAMES WOODS OASTLE- well known needs no further description. MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resi In devices of this character it is highly dedent of West End, in the county of Jefferson sirable that a counterweight be provided 5 and State of Alabama, have invented certain which will offer little resistance to the initial new and useful Improvements in Apparatus tilting movement of the platform, but will for Dumping Cars; and I do hereby declare offer a gradually-increasing resistance as the the following to be a full, clear, and exact detilting movement continues, so as to prevent scription of the same, reference being had to an entire overturning of the platform. In the 60 IO the accompanying drawings, forming a part accompanying drawings there is illustrated a of this specification, and to the letters of 'refpractical embodiment of one form of such diference marked thereon. ferential counterweight. As shown,it consists This invention relates to improvements in of a weighted car F,attached to the platformA apparatus for dumping cars, and particularly by asuitable flexible connection, such as a 65 to that class in which the cars are run upon rope or cable G, running over a pulley I.

a track-section which is turned or tilted with The weighted car runs 011 a track H of varythe car thereon to dump the contents of the inginclination,said trackbeing substantially car; and it relates especially to an improved horizontal or only slightly inclined for a porform of counterbalancing mechanism wheretion of its length and then curving upwardly '70 by there will be less resistance to the tilting until it assumes an approximatelyperpenof. the section during its initial movement, dicular position, as shown clearly in the draw with an increasing resistance as the tilting ings. movement continues. The operation of the apparatus will nowv The invention consists in certain novel debe understood. At the beginning of the tilt- 75 tails of construction and combination and ar ing movement of the platform the weighted rangements of parts, all as will be now decar offers but slight resistance as it then scribed, and the particular features of novstands on the horizontal or slightly-inclined elty pointed out in the claims. portion of the track, but as the movement of In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view, partly the platform continues and its momentum '80 0 in section, of a side-dumping track-section increases the weighted car running up the embodying the invention and showing in dotsteeper or more vertical portion of the track ted lines the position the parts assume when offersaproportionatelyrincreasing resistance, at the forward extreme of this movement. thereby causing the tilting movement to be Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the invention steady and gradual, the weighted car finally 85 applied to an end-dump system. stopping the movement when its whole weight Similar letters of reference in both figures is supported by the tilting section, thereby indicate the same parts. preventing the complete overturning of the Referring particularly to Fig. 1,Aindicates car. ,As soon as the car is emptied the the tilting platform or track-section, B beams weighted car will overbalance the empty car 90 40 upon which track-rails b are laid, forming the and tilting section and return them to their continuation of the main-haulage track. 0 original position, ready to run off onto the is a railing extending along each side of the main track. During the tilting of the platplatform and from which extends inwardly a form it is desirable that the cable or rope to guard-rail c, beneath which the wheels of the which the counterweight is attached should 5 car D pass. The platform A is carried by a at all times be held away from the axis of the longitudinal shaft E, journaled in suitable platform as the pointof attachment swings bearings, the axis being slightly to one side around the axis. To secure this result, there of the center line of the platform, as shown is attached to the under side of the platform clearly in Fig. 1. a curved guide K, against which the rope or I00 As thus far described, the apparatus may cable will bear when the platform is tilted, be similar in construction and operation to as shown clearly in dotted lines, Fig. 1. It

will be noted that the curved guide K is eccentric to the axis of the platform. From this it results that the distance of the cable or rope carrying the counterweight from the axis of the platform will increase as the platform is tilted, thereby adding to the effect of the counterweight, as will be readily understood. A lock or latch J automatically locks the platform when swung to initial position, and said latch may be released when a car is in place and ready to be dumped by a cord or other releasing mechanism in convenient reach of the attendant.

In Fig. 2 the construction is similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, except that the invention is here applied to an end-dump system. In this construction the car L to be dumped is run on the tilting platform M, supported by pivots N and provided with the horns O, of usual construction, the center of gravity of the section when a car is thereon being, as in the former instance, beyond the shaft N. The end of the car is closed by a door Z, pivoted by links Q to the side of the car, and the hoisting-rope R is attached to the door Z at the top and runs over a sheave near the front of the car. When the car is tilted, the door will be retarded in its movement by the hoisting-rope, and the car, dropping away, will open the end of the car and permit the contents to run out.

While the side-tilting-platform arrange ment has been shown and described as adapted to handle and dump single cars, this arrangement is equally adapted to the handling and dumping of trips or trains of two or more cars without the necessity of uncoupling the cars from each other or from the haulage-rope. To accomplish this, all that is necessary is to increase the length of the tilting platform, depending upon the number of cars to be handled, and to correspondingly increase the weight of the traveling counterweight.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In an apparatus such as described, the combination with the tilting platform, of the counterweight, the flexible connection between the counterweight and platform, and the independent curved guide eccentric to the axis of the platform carried by said platform, upon which the flexible connection is guided as the platform is tilted; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus such as described, the combination with the tilting platform, of the counterweight, the track or way of varying inclination upon which the counterweight travels, the flexible connection between the tilting platform and counterweight, and the curved guide carried by the platform to which the flexible connection conforms as the platform is tilted; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES WOODS CAS'ILEMAN.

Witnesses:

B. F. PooL, JNO. R. PERKINS. 

